Watch: Why do dogs howl at sirens?

Why does Fido feel the need to make such a ruckus when a siren goes off? Although many people think it’s because the shrill sound is painful to the sensitive ears of pups, the answer actually lies with their ancestors, wolves. In the wild, wolves usually howl to communicate one of two messages: “I’m lonely,” or “Get off my territory,” Smithsonian magazine reports. So when it comes to annoying emergency sirens, man’s best friend is probably communicating the latter.